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dweller25

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Posts posted by dweller25

    Planetary eyepieces

    in Discussions - Eyepieces

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    On 15/03/2024 at 17:49, Don Pensack said:

    This depends on the scope and the orbital position of the planets, though.

    With my 12.5", I typically look at the crescent phases of Venus, and 100x is plenty, so I'll concur with your recommendation.

    For Jupiter, my lifetime best view was at 456X.  Otherwise, 200x is fine most of the time--close to your recommendation.  Details on the Moons require 400-500x+

    Saturn needs magnification.  I typically use 304X and details are readily available.  My lifetime best view was at 1123X, however.  That was a once-in-a lifetime experience.  200x is fine in lesser seeing, so I'll go along with your figure.

    Mars really needs 250-400x at opposition and even more away from opposition.  My lifetime best view was at ~500x, but 250x at opposition can give a pleasant view.  Surface details might take more, though.  Adding a Contras Booster filter helps a lot.

    Uranus and Neptune really need 400-600x to see the discs well, and the fainter moons around Uranus (Triton at Neptune can be seen at 200x).  At 250x, the discs are too small to see much in the way of details, though you can tell they are discs.

    Except for the 2 outermost planets, you recommendations are solid.  Especially given Patrick's scope is an 8".

    I’m sure this is correct where you live Don ( I need to move to LA 🙂) but sadly the UK skies are often very different to yours after x250 - it’s Jetstream and/or weather front alley 🙁

    • Like 1

    Telescope you'd like in your collection within budget.

    in The Astro Lounge

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

    The one that I really wanted but couldn't buy new because of the appalling and corrupt practices of the then sole UK importer at the time, was the Vixen FL102 with all the trimmings - motorised EQ, set of LV eyepieces, the job lot! If I'd have been able to get that scope I'm convinced I'd never have looked at anything else. It would have been my dream scope for life. I'd be wearing a "Who's Takahashi"?  baseball cap permanently? ( For clarity, Baseball is the girls game of Rounders to us Brit's).

    In 1986 when I read the Astro Systems brochure many, many times whilst trying to decide what my first real telescope should be I came across the Vixen FL102 on a GP mount.

    It was insanely expensive.

    With hindsight I should have bought one - it would have saved me a bob or two !

    • Like 4
    • Haha 1

    Planetary eyepieces

    in Discussions - Eyepieces

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    19 hours ago, PatrickO said:

    I have a Meade LX90 8" OTA and I'm trying to decide on a eyepieces for planetary observation.  My budget is £200-300. I'd go higher if it would make a big difference.

    My thinking at the moment is to get a couple eyepieces of around 8mm and 12mm. This would give magnification of around 250x and 167x.  I'm assuming it's going to be rare to be able to go over 250x

    Alternatively, I could get a good quality 8-24mm zoom, which means I can adjust the magnification to get the best view at the time.

    I'd appreciate advice on what you all think would be best.

     

    Would suggest eyepieces to give the following approximate magnifications…

    Venus x120

    Jupiter x180

    Saturn x200

    Mars/Uranus/Neptune x250

    • Like 5

    How many telescopes do you own?

    in The Astro Lounge

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    1 hour ago, Stu said:

    Amusingly enough, I was reading the side effects on a medication I am taking, and one of them is listed as ‘compulsive shopping’, so I have a medical excuse for my excessive scope collection! 🤪

    Best excuse ever 🤣

    • Haha 2

    Show us your Tak

    in The Astro Lounge

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    2 hours ago, Stu said:

    Perhaps this should be in a different thread, but has anyone used both 180 and 210 Mewlons? Any views on the relative merits? I’m tempted at some point (when I’ve sold a few scopes and have some money 🤪) to buy another having had a 210 before. Cooling was always a challenge on the 210, not sure I ever got it right, and there is something that might make me prefer the lighter, faster cooling 180. 6 smaller diffraction spikes may be nicer too?

    I have had both, the extra mass of the 210 made it harder to cool down and keep up to dropping evening temperatures in the evening. 
    Even with active cooling the M180 can take 90 minutes to fully cool down but when it does it matches the planetary performance of the FS128.
    A fully cooled M210 will probably be close to a 140 APO on the planets and deep sky will be better than the M180.
    I prefer the 6 spikes as they are much less noticeable.

    Overall I did not like the M210 as much as the M180 as it was frustrating to use.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Difference between 8/10/12 Dob on Andromeda

    in Observing - Discussion

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    I have looked at M31 with a 5” APO, a C9.25 SCT and a Skywatcher 10” Newtonian.

    To be honest none of the views impressed me.

    I recently looked at M31 again and got that “wow” factor - trust me that does not happen often after 50 years of night sky observing.

    The sharpness, relative brightness and above all the contrast of the view really caught me out by surprise.

    The scope was a Mewlon 180C

     

    • Like 1

    What did the postman bring? V2

    in The Astro Lounge

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

    This arrived this morning, sent from America  free of charge from a wonderful man Keith Gordon, son of the author. I haven't had chance to read it yet but its full of astronomical sketches, and deals with a very interesting topic. 🙂

    20240309_134641.jpg

    When you have read it can you let us know what size scope is being used the observe the Martian craters Mike ?

    • Like 3

    Mars-- looks white through scope?

    in Observing - Planetary

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Flame Nebula said:

    It was a while ago, but I remember it was about 30° above horizon, above houses. Two scopes showed it white, to my great surprise. 

    That could have been the 2020 opposition when Mars was quite low. I found little to see when viewing Mars that year.

     The 2022 opposition was much better as Mars was higher - but smaller.

    • Like 1

    Mars-- looks white through scope?

    in Observing - Planetary

    Posted · Edited by dweller25

    @Flame Nebula


    When did you observe Mars as a white disk ?

    I have been observing Mars for a very long time and have never seen it as a white disk.

    However poor seeing, thermal issues, collimation, Martian dust storms and how far Mars is from opposition can all contribute to a bright pale orange featureless disk.

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